Jay's Brick Blog

A blog about LEGO bricks

  • Home
  • About Me
  • LEGO Reviews
  • News
  • Summer 2022 Sets
  • SW Advent Calendar

Review: LEGO 40186 Year of the Pig

February 3, 2019 By Jay 4 Comments

Chinese New Year is only days away, so it’s no better time to review what has become one of my favourite LEGO annual traditions – this year’s LEGO Chinese Zodiac Animal – the Pig!

For those that are unaware, the Chinese Zodiac is a system where each year is designated a particular Zodiac Animal, which goes around in a cycle of 12 years, unlike the Western Zodiac which rotates within a calendar year.

Since 2015, LEGO have released a special set commemorating the Chinese Zodiac – starting with the Year of the Sheep which I was all too eager to collect.

This year (2019) we get the Year of the Pig set which is now available as a limited edition gift with purchase through LEGO.com or LEGO Brand Retail Stores in the US and UK, or at Myer if you’re in Australia.

Here’s a short review of 40186 Year of the Pig!

Name: Year of the Pig
Set Number: 40186
Pieces: 152
Price: N/A (Set is a Gift With Purchase from LEGO to coincide with Chinese New Year
Exclusive to: LEGO.com / LEGO Brand Retail Stores / Myer (Australia)
Theme: Chinese Zodiac Animals
Release Date: January 2019

I really like collecting things, and I do love the idea that this is quite possibly the most challenging and (literally) time consuming themes to collect.

You literally have to wait 12 years to collect the entire Zodiac Animal theme, and I sure hope that LEGO keeps this up as I’ll be royally pissed if they cancel halfway.

As someone of Chinese descent, these sets much like this year’s Chinese New Year’s Eve Dinner mean a lot to me, and I am really glad that LEGO has invested in celebrating a big part of Chinese culture. This year’s Chinese Zodiac Animal, the Year of the Pig follows the same design cues as previous years.

It comes in a special commemorative box, which includes a red packet (more on that later), and a small but pretty substantial model featuring a cute Pig.

The boxes retain the same design elements such as the primary use of yellows and oranges. On the side is a big stamp that screams Limited Edition.

I also really like the extremely-obese pig on the Year of the Pig text. It looks like it’s going to explode at any moment.

Here’s a look at the back, which shows off the different ways you can articulate the model.

At the top is a four panel comic illustration, which gives you instructions on what to do if you’d like to incorporate this into your Chinese New Year tradition.

Here’s a look at the boxes of all 5 LEGO Chinese Zodiac Animal sets so far.

In the spirit of Chinese New Year, the set also includes a commemorative Red Envelope or Hongbao. 

For those that are unaware, Red Packets are handed out by married couples to unmarried individuals (mostly kids, but you can technically get them as adults) during the Chinese New Year.

These red packets contain money and are given as a gesture of prosperity and blessing.

As a kid growing up, I’d eagerly await Chinese New Year as you get a pretty significant amount of money which you could either spend or save, depending on how strict your parents were!

Here’s a look at the back, where you can see the envelope opening up to insert money into.

There’s also a golden embossed imprint of the Year of the Pig set, which looks great and makes it look extra fancy.

Here’s the completed model. Like previous years, the design identity remains mostly the same as you get a cartoonish take on the year’s Zodiac Animal.

The Pig is quite possibly the cutest animal in the Chinese Zodiac, and the designers have done a great job bringing it to life.

The vibrant pink bricks, large googly eyes and printed nose element all come together very nicely.

The Pig is seated atop a small base, which has some decorative flowers and foliage on it – making it look almost like a statuette.

One of the great things about these models is the level of articulation that the designers pack in.

The head swivels around on a turntable, the arms can swivel forwards and backwards, and the ears can also be positioned in different angles.

I have to say, the head spinning on the Pig is really smooth, and exceedingly satisfying.

Here’s a look at the Pig from behind. He has a curly pink tail which can also be rotated around – it cleverly recycles a pink tentacle from the Abilisk from the Milano vs Abilisk Guardians of the Galaxy 2 set.

Here’s a look at all the LEGO Chinese New Year Zodiac Animals released so far!

The series started in 2015 with the Sheep, followed by the Monkey, Rooster, Dog and now the Pig.

The Pig’s bright pink colour really makes it stand out from the rest of the animals, although I don’t think it beats the Year of the Sheep as it’s definitely the oddest looking one of the bunch.

Pigs are universally accepted as cute (and tasty) animals, so I’m glad it translated well into this form.

It’s also a great move from LEGO ensuring that there would be enough of these sets to go around, as most people have not had trouble securing them this time around, especially given its wider availability in the US, UK and beyond.

What I liked:

  • The Pig is really cute – all that pink helps it stand out
  • Plenty of fun articulation
  • Relatively easy to get

What I didn’t like: 

  • Not much at all!

Final thoughts: As a promo set within a long-running theme that has a defined look and feel, the Pig hits all the right spots for me.

It’s a fun, cute and memorable build that goes well with all the other LEGO Chinese Zodiac Animals released so far, with some neat little additions such as the printed pig’s nose-piece which was a great touch.

If you’ve been a long-time collector of these Chinese Zodiac Animals, or even if you’re new to them, you’ll most likely enjoy the Pig and more importantly, hopefully gain a greater appreciation for Chinese culture – which sets like this do a great job of accomplishing.

One of the things that I like about these models is that you even if you missed out on the previous year’s model, they are actually very easy to re-create as they use simple parts and no exclusive elements.

The pig might be a little tricky as he has a printed nose-piece, but hopefully it’ll be easily accessibly for future LEGO fans.

As a seasonal Chinese New Year set, the Year of the Pig is a lot of fun, and and possibly the best thing about this is how easy LEGO has made it to obtain it – unlike the other *cough* exclusive sets this year.

Rating: 4/5


Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed this short review! Let me know in the comments if you were able to get your hands on one and what you think of the LEGO Chinese Zodiac Animal theme!

Do you see yourself committing 12 years to collecting all the animals?

Don’t forget, you can find many more reviews in the Jay’s Brick Blog Review Hub!

To stay up to date on the latest posts, you can follow the Jay’s Brick Blog Facebook page or subscribe to receive email alerts for new posts! I also post behind the scenes content, and teasers on my Instagram page @jayong28, so give me a follow if you’d like to see more!

Subscribe to receive updates on new posts & reviews!

Until next time!

Filed Under: LEGO Reviews, Seasonal Tagged With: 2018, 2019, 4.5, 40186, chinese new year, chinese zodiac, exclusive, gift with purchase, lego, lunar new year, myer, review, seasonal, year of the pig

« LEGO Overwatch sets now available on Amazon Australia (plus some new 2019 deals!)
Happy Chinese New Year! Thoughts on how LEGO handled the Lunar New Year sets + Bonus Giveaway! »

Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  1. Amanda says

    March 1, 2019 at 9:48 AM

    I have these sets but am intrigued about the year of the snake set which seems to be very hard to buy. Is this part of the set or a scam?

    Reply
  2. Jandrew says

    February 9, 2019 at 6:31 AM

    I love all things PIG !
    This pig lego is great . I recently wrote a blog post on Fashion for the year of the pig.
    Great article .
    Jandrew
    Dress The Part
    https://jandrewspeaks.com

    Reply
  3. Hammerdragon says

    February 5, 2019 at 8:48 AM

    Picked up a couple of these at Legoland Chadstone, with purchases over $88.

    Reply
    • Jay says

      February 11, 2019 at 6:31 PM

      Nice one! Glad to see these were so easy to get!

      Reply

Welcome!

Hello and welcome to Jay's Brick Blog. In here, you'll find independent LEGO set reviews, commentary on LEGO trends & news, bargain hunting tips and an inside look into the life of an average LEGO fan. Find out more about me here

Subscribe for updates

Enter your email address here to receive updates about new posts from Jay's Brick Blog - straight to your inbox!

Join 3,181 other subscribers

Site Search

Like my page on Facebook

Facebook Pagelike Widget

Buy LEGO

Buy LEGO

jayong28

Jay Ong | Jay's Brick Blog
Here's 10303 Loop Coaster next to 10261 Roller Coa Here's 10303 Loop Coaster next to 10261 Roller Coaster!

If you want both displayed at the same time, you're going to need a LOT of space!

Which Roller Coaster do you like more?

#lego #lego2022 #legoleaks #LEGOnews #legoicons #creatorexpert #legocreator #afol #legos #rollercoaster #rebuildtheworld
The Loop Coaster is complete and it is HUGE! One o The Loop Coaster is complete and it is HUGE! One of the tallest @lego models yet! 😵‍💫

Shall we power it up and see it run?

Special thanks to @annegal for building this beast over the last few days!

#lego #lego2022 #legoleaks #legonews #legoicons #creatorexpert #afol #legos #jaysbrickblog #rebuildtheworld #rollercoaster
LEGO Minifigures Series 23 is looking great! Here LEGO Minifigures Series 23 is looking great!

Here's a look at the entire line-up, and the blind bags which are orange!

Series 23 will be available on 1 September.

Which characters are your favourites from this series! 

Nutcracker
Sugar Fairy
Green Dragon Costume
Snowman
Reindeer Costume
Holiday Elf
Turkey Costume
Cardboard Robot
Popcorn Costume
Wolf Costume
Ferry Captain
Knight of the Yellow Castle

My picks are Knight of the Yellow Castle, Snowman, Reindeer and Popcorn Costume!

#lego #lego2022 #legoleaks #legominifigures #afol #minifigures #minifigs #legocmf #legos #legonews
Did you know, the upcoming 10497 Galaxy Explorer s Did you know, the upcoming 10497 Galaxy Explorer set will also feature the ability to build a 924 Space Cruiser and/or 918 One Space Ship.

So... you're probably going to need 2 sets as a bare minimum 🥹

Thanks to the @verge, for this additional photo! That vintage landing pad in the background is such a tease!

#lego #lego2022 #legoleaks #legoclassicspace #classicspace #vintagelego #legocon #LEGOCON2022 #90yearsofplay #rebuildtheworld
As a fan of @lego Classic Space AND Classic Castle As a fan of @lego Classic Space AND Classic Castle, can I just say how excited I am for the new Lion Knight's Castle AND reimagined Galaxy Explorer?

What a time to be alive 🥰

#lego #legocon #lego2022 #jaysbrickblog #legocollection #legoclassicspace #LEGOCastle #afol #rebuildtheworld #90yearsofplay
Yes, that’s a new Phase 2 Commander Cody, which Yes, that’s a new Phase 2 Commander Cody, which returns in 75337 AT-TE Walker!

75323 The Justifier also announced featuring Cad Bane and Omega from The Bad Batch!

75337 AT-TE Walker will be priced at US$139.99 / €139.99

75323 The Justifier will be priced at US$169.99 / €139.99

Both sets hit shelves on 1 August 2022! 

#lego #legonews #legostarwars #starwars #thebadbatch #starwars #lego2022 #legoleaks
First look at 3 minifigures from LEGO Minifigures First look at 3 minifigures from LEGO Minifigures Series 23 - Cardboard Robot, Ship Captain and Reindeer Costume Fan!

#lego #legocon #legocon2022 #legonews #legoleaks #legominifigures #minifigures
10305 Lion Knight's Castle unveiled at #LEGOCON! 10305 Lion Knight's Castle unveiled at #LEGOCON!

Celebrating LEGO's 90th birthday, this 4,514 piece set comes with a whopping TWENTY minifigures and features incredibly detailed interiors, and plenty of nods to classic #LEGOCastle!

Coming 3 August 2022 for LEGO VIPs. 8 August general release. 

#LEGO #castlelego #lego2022 #vintagelego #legonews #legoleaks #legocastle
The ICON is back! First look at 10497 Galaxy Explo The ICON is back! First look at 10497 Galaxy Explorer, a modern reimagination of 928/497 Galaxy Explorer!

#LEGO #lego2022 #legoclassicspace #legocon #legoleaks #legonews
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Recent Posts

  • 40574 LEGO Brand Store is a newly updated buildable LEGO store for 2022 that everyone can buy!
  • LEGO 40521 Mini Disney The Haunted Mansion revealed!
  • LEGO 10303 Loop Coaster now available!
  • Buying Guide: All the new sets in July 2022
  • LEGO Collectible Minifigures packaging is changing from bags to boxes in 2023
  • LEGO Double VIP Points offer now live, ends 30 June!
  • Review: LEGO 60354 Mars Spacecraft Exploration Missions

LEGO Reviews

Review: LEGO 853990 Easter Bunny House

Review: LEGO Batman Movie Minifigure Series

Retro LEGO Review: 7121 Naboo Swamp

Review: LEGO 76217 I am Groot

Review: Lego 70403 – Dragon Mountain

Lego Minifigures Series 7 Review Part 2

Review: LEGO 40540 Lion Dance Guy Brickheadz

Categories

Archives

Jay

Jay is passionate about LEGO and the endless creative adventures made possible by this complex interlocking brick system.
Learn more →

Popular Posts

Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2022 · WordPress · Log in We may earn a commission when you use one of our offers/links to make a purchase.